5 minute hack: how to take a VR family photo this Christmas

Family photos are as much a Christmas staple as mince pies, pudding and a Boxing Day hangover.

This, though, is 2016. A simple snap just won’t cut it. Especially when the distant relatives can barely fit in the frame.

What’s the answer? A 360-degree, VR panorama, of course.

No more shuffling everyone into the living room for an awkward pose: stride into the centre, spin around and - voila - you’ve got yourself an immersive picture to make Auntie Mable’s Christmas Day.

1. Download Cardboard Camera

It all begins with Cardboard Camera. Available on Android and iOS, it’s Google’s answer to VR panoramas - and it works almost exactly as you’d expect. Activate the camera, pan around the room, twiddle your thumbs as it stitches and there you go.

What makes it different? Share your pretty pano with someone who has a Cardboard viewer and they’ll be able to look around the photo as if they’re standing in the room with you. Almost.

It’s not a full photo sphere, so there will be bands at the top and bottom - but the photo will have depth, so that candle will look closer to them than the tree in the corner, just as in real life.

2. Prep the subjects

Of course, the last thing you want is a jumble of fractured faces cluttering up your clever capture - and the smart thing to do is think about how someone will view the photo.

If you don’t want half of your photo to be full of wall, your best bet is to take it from the centre of the room. If you’ve got someone to operate the camera - rather than a time-lapse turner - put them in the middle and position your models around them.

A bit like the mannequin challenge, you can have some fun with the depth element of VR. And if you're standing and everyone else is sitting, make sure you stay low to avoid getting a row of heads at the bottom of your photo.

The most important thing of all? They need to stand really, really still. Once Cardboard Camera has captured your festive snap, it’ll do a bit of stitching and, although it's relatively reliable, you don’t want jumpy, garbled features scaring Nan.

3. Nice and slow you go

Once you’re all set up, it’s a case of slowly slowly, catchy panorama.

Cardboard Camera is pretty good at taking a seamless shot - but the slower and steadier you go, the easier time it’ll have figuring out where the room starts and ends.

Well-lit, large rooms with clear elements - such as doors, picture frames and the like - tend to work better than smaller spaces with plain walls. If you’re stuck for space and not snowed in, the garden makes a great alternative.

Hold it level, hit the button and shuffle on the spot to capture the full 360 degrees.

Sound on

You can record sound with your VR panorama, too, for a properly immersive experience. Simply hit the mic button before you start panning.

The easy option is a bit of classic Christmas music and a festive message - though a nice, realistic hubbub, with the sound of crackers, breaking glass and some hurled turkey works, too. All for the cause of amplifying the fantastic effect of VR.

4. Sharing is caring

Once Google’s done stitching and tweaking, your Christmas pic is ready to go.

Then, it’s as simple as slotting your smartphone in and absorbing the Yuletide immersion. Get faraway friends and family to do the same and they’ll be able to soak up the festive joy before the gin puts everyone to sleep.